1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of wearing apparel, and to the particular field of shoes and accessories therefor.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many activities require a participant to run, stop and turn, often quickly. Good traction is therefore a requirement for such activities. Therefore, many sport shoes have outer soles that are specially designed to create traction. Games, such as basketball, volleyball and the like have such specially designed shoes.
Still other such games are conducted out of doors on playing fields, or even indoors on special playing courts. Football, golf, soccer and baseball are merely examples of such games that are played out of doors or on grass-type playing fields. Therefore, these games, also, have shoes that have specially designed outer soles.
Often, the outdoor games use shoes with spikes. While spikes greatly increase traction, spikes have drawbacks. If the playing field is muddy, mud tends to stick to the spikes. This vitiates the advantages associated with spikes. Not only does this require a participant to stop the activity to clean mud from the spikes, it may be dangerous. A participant may count on a particular traction from the spikes and if that traction is not present, the person can fall or twist a knee.
Therefore, there is a need for a spiked shoe that retains its ability to create traction. Still further, there is a need for a spiked shoe that retains its ability to create traction even when the ground is muddy or would otherwise tend to stick to the spikes thereby vitiating the traction features associated with spikes.
While there are tools available for cleaning spikes, such tools require the user to stop the activity to clean the spikes. Until the mud is cleaned from the spikes, the above-mentioned problems and drawbacks will be present. It is not always possible or convenient for a participant to stop the activity to clean spikes.
Therefore, there is a need for a spiked shoe that retains its ability to create traction and in which the spikes are continuously cleaned.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a spiked shoe that retains its ability to create traction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a spiked shoe that retains its ability to create traction even when the ground is muddy or would otherwise tend to stick to the spikes thereby vitiating the traction features associated with spikes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a spiked shoe in which the spikes are continuously cleaned.
These, and other, objects are achieved by a shoe unit which comprises an outer sole; a plurality of conical spikes mounted on the outer sole, each spike having a height dimension measured from the outer sole; a foam cushion mounted on the outer sole and having a first wall fixed to the outer sole, a second wall and a thickness dimension measured between the first wall and the second wall; a plurality of bores defined in the foam cushion, each bore accommodating a spike; the foam cushion being compressible between a pre-compressed condition with the thickness dimension of the foam cushion being essentially equal to the height dimension of the spikes when no compressive force is applied to the foam cushion via the outer sole, the thickness dimension of the foam cushion being less than the height dimension of the spikes when compressive force is applied to the foam cushion via the outer sole. The bores defined in the foam cushion being sized and shaped so the foam cushion adjacent to the bores is spaced apart from the spikes when the foam cushion is in the pre-compressed condition and the bores defined in the foam cushion being further sized and shaped so the foam cushion adjacent to the bores will contact the spikes when the foam cushion is being moved into the compressed condition by compressive force applied to the foam cushion via the outer sole, the foam cushion contacting the spikes prior to reaching the compressed condition.
Thus, every time a wearer steps down on the shoe, the foam cushion will compress and contact the spikes. Since the foam cushion contacts the spikes prior to reaching a fully compressed condition, the foam cushion will xe2x80x9cwipexe2x80x9d the spike clean as the foam cushion moves from the pre-compressed condition to the compressed condition and back again to the pre-compressed condition. The foam cushion then returns to the pre-compressed condition when the wearer removes his weight from the foot during the walking or running process. The spikes are thus continuously cleaned thereby allowing the wearer to obtain the full benefit of the spikes at all times.